Wearmouth Colliery shaft accident, 1862

Five men walling the upcast shaft at Monkwearmouth on 7 September 1862 were thrown to their deaths when the scaffold above them gave way and the rush of air broke two of the chains that held their cradle.

Cause

A heavy airtight scaffold built across the shaft gave way on an unseen slip in the rock; the sudden change in air pressure as it fell broke two of the six chains carrying the men's cradle, which tipped and threw them down the shaft.

What happened

Four sinkers and a mason were walling part of the twelve-foot upcast shaft from a cradle eleven feet eight inches across, hung on six iron chains from a heavy rope. Above them a scaffold had been built across the shaft on oak buntons let into the freestone, sealed with clay and loaded with five fathoms of stone and ashes, a mass reckoned at 224 tons. On 7 September 1862 it gave way on a slip in the rock that no one had seen. The blast of air as it fell was strong enough to draw in men standing near the shaft top and to break two of the cradle's chains; the cradle tipped and the five were thrown down the shaft. One sinker, Joseph Lamb, had left the cradle a few minutes before to fetch materials and was at the bank with his foot in the tub. The master sinker Anthony Wardle was lowered on a cradle with William Adams, the first man to have gone down the Hartley shaft after the disaster there earlier that year.

Rescue & recovery

A cradle was lowered with the master sinker, Anthony Wardle, and William Adams, who had been the first man down the Hartley shaft after the disaster there in January 1862.

Investigation & inquiry

The accident was reported by the inspector Matthias Dunn in the Mines Inspector's report for 1862, and in the Colliery Guardian of 13 September 1862.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• James Hall was 44 and Robert Dryden 35. (disputed) ¹
• James Hall was 34 and Robert Dryden 38. (disputed) ²

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• Five men were killed in the shaft on 7 September 1862. ^1,2
• A scaffold in the shaft gave way on an unseen slip, and the change in air pressure broke two of the six chains holding the cradle. ¹
• Four sinkers and a mason were walling the upcast shaft from a cradle. ¹
• James Hall was 44 and Robert Dryden 35. (disputed) ¹
• James Hall was 34 and Robert Dryden 38. (disputed) ²

Related terminology

Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.

• Bunton (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…rope. Above them a scaffold had been built across the shaft on oak buntons let into the freestone, sealed with clay and loaded with five…”
• Downcast Shaft and Upcast Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “Five men walling the upcast shaft at Monkwearmouth on 7 September 1862 were thrown to their deaths…”
• Pithead (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…the cradle a few minutes before to fetch materials and was at the bank with his foot in the tub. The master sinker Anthony Wardle was…”
• Shaft Sinking (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the narrative: “Four sinkers and a mason were walling part of the twelve-foot upcast shaft from a…”
• Tub (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…before to fetch materials and was at the bank with his foot in the tub. The master sinker Anthony Wardle was lowered on a cradle with…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Monkwearmouth Colliery Shaft Accident - Monkwearmouth - 1862 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (primary) Wearmouth Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 6 October 2026 · Last researched: 6 October 2026